SketchUp RUBY API Wishlist [way of coding wishes, please]

tomot

I would like to see a GUI added to the Ruby API. This has been sadly lacking from when the Ruby API was first added to be the scripting language for SU. Please add this to your SU8 wish list. Failing that, perhaps an easier task maybe to add a Python API with GUI to SU. I see no reason why SU can't function with 2 scripting languages.

thomthom

A GUI to the API what do you mean? As oppose to Webdialogs?

jessejames

I think what tomot wants is a GUI toolkit built-in for SU scripting. Web dialogs are quite lacking. Scriptwriters need widgets!

Text, Listbox, Entry, Button, Frame, Toplevel, Spinbox, Label, Scrollbar, Dialogs, RadioButton, CheckButton, Menu, Scale, LabelFrame, Canvas, OptionMenu, PanedWindow, Image Support

Python has all this built-in to the language as Tkinter(Tk widgets) An easy to use GUI builder with every thing a script writer/SUupper needs, amoung others.

I will also volunteer to do most of the dirty work to grow a Python API(and i could get others to help also -- SU DEV would not have to do much).

One of the best things about Python as compared to Ruby is the tons and tons of great documentation. This would be very appealing to those who wish to script but cannot find good docs for Ruby. And the built-in GUI is just icing on the cake!

tomot

@jessejames said:

I think what tomot wants is a GUI toolkit built-in for SU scripting. Web dialogs are quite lacking. Scriptwriters need widgets!

Text, Listbox, Entry, Button, Frame, Toplevel, Spinbox, Label, Scrollbar, Dialogs, RadioButton, CheckButton, Menu, Scale, LabelFrame, Canvas, OptionMenu, PanedWindow, Image Support

Yes that's exactly what I meant. Here is a Google definition of Webdialogs:

By using powerful cross-browser Javascript and CSS, WebDialog renders dialogs, windows and even modal dialogs inside the browser window. It avoids the problems caused by restrictive popup blockers and gives you greater flexibility when designing your web application's user interface.

That's not going to help my scripting endeavors without now also having to learn Javascript and CSS.

JJ you put a generous offer of the table, I would like to contribute where ever possible. Lets hope we can get ScottLininger on board? Because without some support from Google I can't see this going very far.

thomthom

Coming from a webdesign background I forgot that HTML, CSS and JS is also a thing to be learnt. I see your point. I was just confused because you allready have most of the controls JJ mentioned. But as you say, it a new set of languages to learn.

As for the lacking set of widgets, there are many frameworks that can easily be added on to extend the widget collection.

But I'm puzzled by another thing, tomot; you would be willing to learn Python to make a GUI, but not CSS+JS?

tomot

@thomthom said:

But I'm puzzled by another thing, tomot; you would be willing to learn Python to make a GUI, but not CSS+JS?

It may surprise you Thomas; I'm not a Ruby programmer or a LISP programmer nor GDL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geometric_Description_Language programmer.
I could not sit down with a text editor and bang out a new Ruby without at the same time having open on my Desktop at least 2 or 3 existing Ruby's whose content may help form the basis of a new ruby idea I'm trying to bring into being. Then through lots of cutting and pasting of code and many trials and errors of loading and reloading the same script into the console, over and over again, I eventually arrive at the solution. The programming related lines I can't solve I usually bring forth to this forum for help from those that have real programming knowledge, and I'm always grateful for their support. The following piece of code was provided by Jim Foltz.

normal = useanamehere.normal
normal.length = -$xxx
tr = Geom;;Transformation.translation(normal)
group.transform! tr

This small piece of code has been invaluable, its used repeatedly to offset distances that make 2d lines into 3d, planes, without it Window and Door Tools could not exist.

Its also one of the reasons I'm grateful that not each Ruby contributor decides to use obfuscation on their code. Obviously if everyone did this, this community would not have benefited from my Window and Door Tools scripts.

If this Python API works out, I will approach scripting with it the same way I do with Ruby. Firstly I would ask for some simple existing Ruby's to be converted to Python. I would use that as a springboard to start scripting in Python.

jessejames

@tomot said:

...I could not sit down with a text editor and bang out a new Ruby without at the same time having open on my Desktop at least 2 or 3 existing Ruby's whose content may help form the basis of a new ruby idea I'm trying to bring into being. Then through lots of cutting and pasting of code and many trials and errors of loading and reloading the same script into the console, over and over again, I eventually arrive at the solution.

I agree tomot,
The work flow for writing scripts in SU is frustrating. This must be improved. Nobody(pro or not) has the ability to write bug free scripts in one go.

1.) A built-in text editor(very simple) with syntax highlight so a new scripter can get started easily
2.) a multi-line Console(for testing snippets with proper indentation) to replace the single line Ruby Console
3.) a real GUI toolkit(Python has TK built-in to the language)
4.) a good SU specific scripting tutorial.( most important )

These are the key to happy SU scripting.

The current work flow is painful and a real determent to all who wish to learn, or write scripts for SU. Something must be done. Scripting must be made available to all, not just a few professionals at the top.

SU design is flawless everywhere but this area. Once we can fix this, the full power of SU will be available to all.

Al Hart

UI.openpanel - bugs and improvement requests

I would like UI.openpanel to be much more powerful.

I have at three problems with it.

Patterns for file extensions

This first code snippet should display all files with either a .zip or .rb extension.
When I use it in SU 7 Windows, the openfile panel displays only the .zip files, (no .rb files), and showed this '*.zip;_.rb' in the File name box: (with an underscore instead of a *)

fn = UI.openpanel "Select a zip file.", "",  "*.zip;*.rb"

When I pass it just one extension, it works:

UI.openpanel "Select a zip file.", "",  "*.zip"

But if I pass it a starting folder it fails:

UI.openpanel "Select a zip file.", "c;/tmp",  "*.zip"

showing '_.zip' in the File Name box

Passing patterns and a starting file separately

I should be able pass a file name (e.g. the last file the user opened), as well as a set of patterns.

Passing filters.

The Windows openfile dialog allows you to pass a set of filters which display at the bottom. UI.openfile should have a similar set of patterns.

#2 and #3 could be implemented with new, optional parameters.

Required file

Windows Openfile has a setting that required that the user enter a valid, existing file. This would be a nice feature for UI.openpanel.

Al Hart

Bug/new feature request for Sketchup.load

Sketchup.load does not set the filename or binding properly. errors during loading are not reported, and executaion errors are not reported properly.

Here is a test file with an error which only occurs during execution.

rps_test1.rb


printf "rps_test1.rb\n"
def test1
        printf xxx
end

When you load it with ruby's load and execute 'test1' you get this error:


Error; #<NameError; c;/tmp/rps_test1.rb;6;in `test1'; undefined local variable or method `xxx' for main;Object>
c;/devc_2005/rptools/rpt_debug/ruby/rps_test1.rb;6

When you load it in Sketchup.load (either the .rb or the compressed .rbs), you get this error message:



Error; #<NameError; (eval);11;in `test1'; undefined local variable or method `xxx' for main;Object>
(eval);11

Having the file name and line number for a ruby is very important both when creating a ruby application and when debugging client problems. I have to go to a lot of trouble to work around this bug.

Assuming that 'eval()' is eventually used by Skethcup.load to load, binding and a file name could be passed to cause errors to be reported properly.

e.g.: eval(string, TOPLEVEL_BINDING, filename, start_line)

todd burch

I haven't read through this post, so some of these might be duplicates. If they are, consider mine a +1.

Expose the Surface class.
Change the data model for Text so its not a global thing, but an entity thing. That way, each text-related entity can have it own font and other attributes.
Expose Dimensions.
Fix all the bugs I've reported. Really.
Thanks, Todd

NewOne

Sorry if off-topic.
But... did you guys heard something about Sketchup 7 ruby documentation? What's really new here? Will it appear? When?

Thank you.

scottlininger

We summarized the new SU7 features in a blog post:

What's New in SketchUp 7

Posted by Scott Lininger, SketchUp Team SketchUp 7 contains several improvements to the Ruby API. Here's a quick tour of the best changes. I...

(sketchupapi.blogspot.com)

I can't give an exact date for the detailed documentation. We're working on it.

Thanks,

thomthom

My suggestion of way of coding: Being able to hook up a debugger. Sorely needed some times.

NewOne

To be able to add new menus in SketchUp menu bar.

jadema

Extend the UI class to support the selection of a directory. Currently you can select files, but there doesn't seem to be a way to select a directory or folder.

snicolo

The New Ruby API documentation is up and running.

Take a look at:
http://code.google.com/apis/sketchup/docs/index.html

enjoy.
Simone.

jadema

How about a method to refresh the SketchUp display when executing long scripts? Today the interface looks like it is frozen when you change focus to another window and then back to SketchUp. The display gets refreshed only when the script completes or a dialog box that requires user input is displayed.

Matt666

Hi all!
To have possiblity to call a tool by its ID, with function Sketchup.send_action.
For example :

Sketchup.send_action 21022

It works great on PC. On Mac, it returns this bug below in the console :
@unknownuser said:

Error: #<TypeError: can't convert Fixnum into String>

iceman

Let me add my two cents. I've only been using the API for a couple of days now, and I can see that dimensions aren't accessible from it. This would be very important to me. I can see it's been requested a couple of times already...

Thanks for such a great tool.

Just thought of another one. Last night I tried to create a script to let me control the camera like you would in a video game: WASD and mouselook. Turns out that key press events are consumed by shortcuts before they can get to a script. Also, you can't copy the shortcut keys, change them temporarily while your tool is running, and then restore them when it's deactivated. A way around this would be nice. I know the walk tool lets you use the arrow keys, but it would be nice to a) be able to change those keys and b) use mouse look at the same time

TIG

@iceman said:

I've only been using the API for a couple of days now, and I can see that dimensions aren't accessible from it.

You can work-around this dimensions_not_being_API_accessible issue...
Make a component-dimension one_unit long and save it
In the script insert it at the first picked point, then transfoem it...
Rotate it to the angle given by the second picked point and scale it in its X to match the distance_between_the_two_points : one_unit
The dimension numbers should change to match, which the ticks and leaders remain fixed.
You could have a third picked point to locate the text and scale it in the Y to suit ?
You could then explode that instance if appropriate...